Little Moments
by times-a-tickin
Summary: Not every case is a multilayered blockbuster, and not every romantic moment is on screen. Just a series of one shots about Castle and Beckett.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all, this is just a little brain fart I came up with. There may be more, there may not be. But I hope you all like it!**

 **Also: I don't own anything about Castle.**

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"Another one in the books," claimed Castle, with only the smallest amount of bravado. "Although I will admit, this was a fairly disappointing case. You would think a prom murder would be more fun, but catching the whole act on camera takes all the intrigue out of it."

"Well, not every case can be a showstopper. And the easy ones mean an early night for us." Castle glanced over to Beckett out of the corner of his eye, and caught her stifling a smile. Despite what she may claim, his antics were growing on her.

"Well not that early," mentioned Castle, looking at his watch. "Nearly 11:30. If I leave now I can catch Alexis for a late night snack before bed. Aw, who am I kidding, she's been in bed for half an hour already."

"A high schooler in bed before 11?" exclaimed Beckett. "Alexis really is a gift from God."

"Yeah," sighed Castle. "I'm thankful everyday that she's her, and not more like me."

Castle felt a rumble in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since his lunch at 1, right before heading to the fateful high school crime scene. Maybe he would stop by the Old Haunt on his way home. While their food wasn't great, it was fast and, at least for him, free. Being the owner had its perks.

Bracing his hands on the arms rests of his chair, Castle prepared to head for the exit. He looked back at Beckett. She had her hand on her stomach, and a contemplative look on her face. Suddenly she looked up at him and said, "I'm, uh, gonna go grab some dinner at Remy's. I'm in the mood for a burger." She hesitated, and then blurted out, seemingly before she could stop herself, "wanna come with me?"

Castle froze, midway through standing up. The word 'yes' jumped to his throat, but he managed to squash it down. _Be careful here bud,_ he thought to himself.

If he was honest with himself, there was nothing more in the world he wanted to do more than spend time with Kate Beckett. She was the reason he dragged himself out of bed each morning, and was able to fall asleep each night, Just the prospect of being alone with her, in a diner, just them two, a pair of burgers, and a couple of beers seemed like paradise.

In fact, ever since the incident with the dirty bomb he had been craving her, more than usual. The problem was that ever since the dirty bomb incident, Kate and Josh, her boyfriend, had been closer than ever. Castle had caught them several times, in the break room or outside the front door, whispering gently in each other's ears and standing too close together.

"What? No Dr. motorcycle dude date tonight?" quizzed Castle, putting on a smirk to stall for time. Because while he wanted nothing like a dinner date with Kate, nothing would hurt him quite as much. The problem was that he didn't want her for the night, but for every night. Not just a date at Remy's with burgers, but also a Valentine's day dinner at a fancy restaurant, a romantic walk in the park, even a night in with a bottle of wine. _And maybe without clothes_ , mused Castle, before he could stamp down the wisps of lust drifting into his psyche.

"No," said Beckett with a chuckle and a blush, averting her gaze away from Castle. "He's on call tonight and can't be… distracted." Jealousy flared through Castle's chest like a match being struck. And while he tempered it, the burning persisted. This confirmed it. It would be too painful to be stuck alone with her. He would politely but firmly refuse, and just head home. _Forget the Old Haunt. I think there's some leftover pasta in the fridge._ Being alone with a beer and Patterson's new novel would be the perfect distraction. _Nothing like poor writing to get my blood pumping, in a non-sexual way._

"Look, that sounds great," said Castle. "But I've still got a chance to catch Alexis tonight. Also I have a deadline coming up. I really should get some writing done." These were mostly just excuses of course. Alexis was long asleep, being the standup student she was. And while he did indeed have a deadline soon, he never really paid attention to those.

As if she read her mind, Beckett interjected, "Deadlines?! You haven't met a deadline since I've known you." She met his gaze with a smile, then seemed to falter a little. "Please Castle? It'll be fun."

And that's what it really came down to. It hurt like the devil being around her. He could spare himself so much trouble and hurt by cutting his losses, and not just on this night. He could end this pointless "relationship" with Beckett, stop tailing her and continue with his life. It would be so easy to find a new muse, one who didn't make his heart flutter every time he saw her.

He could open a new chapter in his life. Alexis would leave for college. He could give his mother the loft and move, to LA, or Vegas, or even Alaska. _That would make a great story. Author moves to far out wilderness to escape his past._

But he kept coming back to the same thing. It was so damn fun. Playing cop. Interrogating perps. Joking with Ryan and Esposito. Befriending cops, meeting thugs, and getting in shootouts.

But most of all, there was Kate. Bringing her a coffee every morning. Teasing her incessantly. Catching the smile she tried to hide when he ranted a crazy conspiracy theory. Even the glare she would give him when he did something stupid and rash. It was too damn fun.

And while Castle was a writer, he recognized that it came down to simple math. Did the pleasure and happiness he got from being Beckett's partner in crime outweigh the pain of being around her everyday?

"Alright fine. But you're buying."

Of course it was. Always.

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 **Probably a bit of a cheesy ending, but hopefully you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Just a Very Good Day

**Hey, sorry if any of y'all got two alerts about this chapter, I had to upload it twice. Anyways, no _real_ plot to this chapter, just a little fluff I came up with to waste your time (and mine). But it's 5000 words, and I don't think I've written 500 words about anything before, so I hope you enjoy it. And it would be much obliged if you read the quick AN I have at the bottom**

 **Enjoy!**

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The lurch of the subway as it arrived at a station jolted Castle out of his dozing state. Quickly he glanced at the monitor, to make sure he hadn't missed his stop, before sitting up and blinking the sleep from his eyes.

Trying to keep himself awake, he glanced around. Well past rush hour on a Friday morning, there were only 4 other people on his car. Two suits seemed to be discussing business, paying no attention to him, while a teenage girl in a "sk8er girl" getup was listening to music two rows in front of him. The last was a middle aged woman reading a book. Even as he looked at her, she glanced away from Rick and back towards her book. His own face stared at him from the back cover.

He tried to not take the subway very much, being a relative celebrity and all. While he enjoyed the fanfare as much as the next person, the subway wasn't exactly the most glamorous place to take pictures or sign autographs.

Usually he would've taken the car to a case, but Alexis had taken it to a field trip upstate for the day. And while he still had the Ferrari, it wasn't exactly a touring around the town kind of car. Not like the one he and Alexis shared at least.

A smile came to his lips as he thought back to her 16th birthday, when she had asked for a car. Neither of them had really needed a car (their lives being mostly in the city), but now with some of Rick's cases requiring a surprising amount of driving and Alexis wanting more freedom, it hadn't seemed like a bad idea. Plus, it wasn't like money was a burden for them.

Alexis had wanted a Jeep. She had found used ones online, printed safety and mileage stats for all the latest models, and had even promised to come up with $2000 herself to fund it. Plus, "they're totally safe, even when you take the doors off," she had said.

"Take the what off?" responded Castle.

"The doors. You can take the doors off. It's like driving with the windows down, but even better."

Castle frowned. "How would you even know that?" Before she could respond, he continued, "You know what? I don't want to know."

He shuffled through the stack of papers she had placed before him "Ooh, what about this one? An Escalade? Five star crash rating, big enough for all of your stuff, non-removable doors. Plus I bet you can even bulletproof the glass." he said with a wink.

"Why would we need bullet proof glass? You plan on getting shot at? And that tank gets like 4 miles to the gallon. Let's try not to kill the environment," Alexis had countered, clearly exasperated.

They had argued for several hours, until they decided on a Subaru hatchback. Decent enough fuel efficiency, room in the back for textbooks, violins, fencing equipment, and friends. Happy that he had talked her down from a moving death trap without doors, Castle had even agreed to pay for the whole thing. It was only a week later, when he saw printouts of car research with the exact model they had decided on, but dated before their argument, that he realized what had happened. She wanted the Subaru the whole time! She played me like her violin!

Both disgust and pride in his daughter, weighted towards the latter, raced through his chest as the subway finally arrived at his stop. He hopped off and started walking up the stairs, towards the 12th Precinct. Beckett had given him an address only 2 blocks from the Precinct. He glanced at his phone. Missed call from Beckett. Well he was only a minute away from the crime scene. He'd catch up with her there.

The frigid air outside caused him to shiver, and he pulled his coat tighter around himself. There was a brutal cold streak going through New York right now. They would be lucky if temperatures reached positive numbers today. Luckily it was a quick jaunt up the street to the apartment building, and from there only an elevator ride to 4C, where the vic was waiting.

As he entered, he found CSU going over the room and taking pictures. Lanie was there with the body. "Hey Castle," she intoned without even looking up.

"Morning Lanie," responded Castle, still looking around the room. "Where are Beckett and the boys?"

Lanie set down her clipboard and grabbed some tweezers from her kit. "Went off to follow a lead. They think it's the wife. She was at a bar down the road." She leaned over and pulled a long blonde hair off the chest. The hair was soaked with blood.

Finally looking at the body, Castle gasped. "Oh my, what happened to target practice here?"

The body was laying on it's back on the floor. The vic was a slightly overweight man, with two distinct holes in the chest. But the real damage was his head, which looked like it had been caved in with a icepick, multiple times.

"Two GSWs to the chest, and then a bunch more to the face. I'm guessing 4 as that would round out the bullets in the revolver over on the living room table."

"Trying to hide the identity?" asked Castle, moving to get a better look at the face, or what was left of it. The bullets must have been a fairly large caliber to do that much damage. There were no distinct bullet holes, just a horrible mush that had once been distinct bone, skin, and brains.

"Nope," said Lanie, gesturing towards a wallet on the floor a few feet away. "Wallet with an ID was in his pocket."

"Hm. The killer was clearly angry at the vic. Maybe he was an abuser, and wife finally grabbed the gun and shot him, then emptied the gun into his head?"

Lanie closed a bag and deposited it into her case before snapping it close. Speaking to other CSU investigators she said, "You can take the body now." Glancing back at Castle, "I think that's what Beckett had in mind. She tried to call you, but you didn't answer. Wanted me to tell you to meet them back at the Precinct."

Castle grunted and left. Maybe if he went fast enough, he could make himself some coffee and warm up a bit before they got back from arresting the wife.

Sadly, no such luck for him. When he arrived, Beckett was just leaving interrogation. Castle managed to glance inside and see a sobbing blonde woman still handcuffed to the table.

"Wife did it?" asked Castle. When Beckett nodded an affirmative, Castle frowned. "It's too easy. Maybe she was hypnotized into thinking she did it, while it was really a mob hit?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice.

Apparently it didn't work. "Not this time Castle. This one's open and shut."

"Damn," cursed Rick, still trying to warm his hands by sticking them in his armpits. "I was really looking forward to a fun one. Looks like I made the winter trek over here for nothing."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, if you really want to do some police work, you can do the fun stuff now."

Castle's eyes lit up. "Really? What's that?"

"Paperwork" was Ryan's reply as he dropped a thick binder onto his desk, making a deep boom.

"Oh, ha ha funny guys," Castle said as Ryan, Beckett, and Esposito chuckled at the look of utter disappointment on his face. But with nothing better to do, he plopped himself down at his customary chair as Beckett began typing away at her computer.

It took 20 minutes of Castle alternating between watching Kate write the arrest report and playing solitaire on his phone for Beckett to finally say, "Look Castle, its not that I don't love your… company, but don't you have something better to do?"

"Not really," was Rick's reply, which was accompanied by a sigh. "Alexis is out of town for the day and my mother is preparing for some new play, so she's gone all day too. Guess it's up to you guys to entertain me." saying that last part louder and towards Ryan and Esposito.

Beckett frowned. "Well maybe you could entertain us… with some coffee." Happy for anything to do, Rick gleefully ran off to the break room to prepare refreshments as the detectives returned to typing.

Nearly 3 hours later Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito finally finished their respective paperwork. Beckett had started reading the day's newspaper while Castle played paper football with the boys.

"So you guys really don't have any work to do?" asked Castle. "Cause I can leave if I need too." He said this despite the fact that he dreaded the frigid trip home to an empty apartment. Hanging with the squad was much more fun that taking a midday nap or watching a soap opera in his underpants. Ok so fine, he thought. I really just want to spend time with Beckett.

"Nah," responded Ryan. "We've closed all of our cases."

"Plus," added Javier, "shouldn't be too long until a body drops. Murder doesn't stop just because we finally have some free time." He flicked his finger, and the folded triangle of paper soared through Rick's upright fingers.

Rick bent to retrieve the football and took aim at the other set of goal posts: a pair of pencils they had stabbed into erasers. "Well that's good, because I could really use a juicy case right now. This is even more boring than Alexis' mathletes competition."

Suddenly, another piece of white soared through the air, and smacked Castle right in the face. He looked up, surprised to see a smirking Beckett look back at her newspaper. "If it's that boring Castle, no need to hang around here."

"But detective Becket, what if there's a case? I wouldn't want to leave you short handed."

Right on queue, Beckett's phone rang. The three men smiled and started grabbing their things, and even Beckett seemed happy to break the monotony. "Becket," she said into the mouthpiece.

Esposito and Ryan were halfway to the elevator when they heard "Oh… of course I'll be in court on Monday… Was that all?... Thanks, have a good day." She couldn't quite manage to keep the disappointment out of her voice as she re-holstered the phone. "Just a lawyer about a court appearance. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

Rick sighed and glanced at the clock. A little after one in the afternoon. "Anybody hungry?" he asked as everyone resumed their previous positions. "I can order pizza. It's too cold to go out for lunch."

They all agreed and soon enough had 3 large pizzas for company in the conference room. Castle had just finished telling them how Alexis had duped him into buying the car she wanted when Captain Montgomery walked in.

"Hey Cap," said Esposito. "I thought you were going to be at 1PP all day?"

"I was, but the commissioner got called into a meeting with the Mayor. Sent us all home." He eyeballed the pizza boxes on the table. "Hard at work here I see."

"Just waiting for someone to die," Castle said, somewhat unceremoniously.

Beckett cleared her throat. "I think what he means is that all of our cases are closed right now. We're waiting to see if another case somes our way."

Montgomery frowned. "Well I can't have all of you here lollygagging. Beckett, you head home. Ryan and Esposito, go digitize some of the old records. 1PP is up my ass about this whole 'Tech Update' thing." Javier and Kevin grunted an acknowledgement and wolfed down their last slice of pizza as they headed to archives downstairs.

Beckett, however, hesitated then said, "If it's all the same to you Cap, I'll help out the boys. I'd feel bad if they got to do all the fun stuff while I was at home enjoying myself." Montgomery raised an eyebrow, but knew Kate might actually enjoy work more than getting the rest of the day off.

"Besides," she continued, "Castle seems determined to turn the precinct into his personal man cave, so someone has to keep a hold on his leash."

"Do what you will. Just know I can't be paying you overtime to sit on your ass all day." He turned to leave before hesitating, turning back and grabbing the last slice of pineapple and bacon pizza. "Make sure this gets cleaned up," he said with a wink as he left for his office.

Castle sighed as he stood to start stacking empty pizza boxes. "I guess that ends my day. Digitizing files sounds super dull."

Beckett smiled. "I don't know Castle. I actually think you'll enjoy this. There's some pretty fun cold cases you might want to put your 'brilliant detective mind' to."

Rick could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice, but decided to play along. "Anything to help the NYPD." He deposited the empty boxes in the trash. "Another coffee?"

They made a game out of digitizing the records: One of them would describe the crime scene/enter data into the computer while the others would ask questions to try and figure out who the killer was. It wasn't very efficient, as only one person was actually entering the files at a time, but it provided some entertainment on a slow day. And everybody loves a good game of Clue, thought Castle to himself.

He set down his vending machine soda. "So the lawyer was found overdosed on painkillers in his bed?" When Ryan nodded, he continued, "Well it looks like suicide, but for the sake of fun, I'm going to guess that his client killed him because the lawyer messed up his case and cost him 10 years in jail."

"Wasn't suicide," was Ryan's reply. "Autopsy shows he was drugged beforehand, and probably force fed the painkillers. And it was the client, but he was a first time offender. No prior jail time."

Kate crunched on a handful of chips, also bought from the vending machine. "So the client killed the lawyer? Any previous links between them?"

"Nope. First time they met was in lockup when he was assigned as a public defender."

Javier put his feet up on his desk. "Had the lawyer been acting weird in the weeks leading up to his death?"

"Yeah," responded Ryan, reading through the file again, and stopping to actually type something into the computer. "Our vic had been making trips down to Chinatown. The wife said he never went there."

"Chinatown?" asked Kate, sitting up. "The client's name was Jack Li, right? So maybe our lawyer was talking to his family?"

"What was the charge against him again?" asked Castle.

"Misdemeanor driving without a license."

"And where was he ticketed?" queried Castle again.

"Uh…" hesitated Ryan, reading through the file. "Down by the docks. Nowhere near Chinatown."

"Ok," said Castle standing up. "So our clinet, Jack Li, great spy name by the way, was caught down by the docks without his license. But that's hardly a crime worth killing for. First time offender, probably just pay a fine, right?" The detectives nodded. "So it's probably not the traffic ticket. What was he doing down by the docks in the first place? Engaged in something sketchy maybe?"

Beckett's eyes lit up. "And our lawyer, being the good professional he is, does some digging into the circumstances. He finds out what our boy Jack was into, and was killed for it."

Castle smiled. "I'm guessing he was a cleanup guy for a Chinese gang. When they need to get rid of a body, they call Mr. Li, who dumps them down by the docks."

"Ding ding," was Ryan's reply. "Not just a cleanup guy, but a hit man. Was pretty good at it too, as he'd never even gotten a ticket before this. But when our goodie two shoes lawyer kept digging, he threatened to send Li to jail for more than a couple of days. Try a couple of decades." He closed the file, then bent back to the computer screen to finish typing it up.

Esposito sighed. "Another solve for Castle. I hate to admit it, but you might have actually been a good cop."

Castle pulled out his phone. "Hold up let me get my camera ready. Can you say that again?"

Esposito waited for Castle to start recording, then promptly flipped him the bird. While they engaged in some more childish taunts, Beckett glanced at her watch. 5:15. Time to head home. She looked around at the boys. Even she was having a bit of fun, just passing time. It's not like she was going to do anything particularly interesting when she went home. Plus, she admitted to herself, a little more time with Castle is nice.

"What do you guys say? One more?"

* * *

"Wow, that was amazing," sighed Beckett contentedly.

"Yeah it was," responded Castle.

They had spent another 3 hours playing detective at the Precinct. None of them had anything to do that night, so they just kept looking over old case files and competing to see who could solve the most interesting ones. Besides, it wasn't like they really had anything to do on a Friday night. So when the night squad had shown up and kicked them to the curb, they had all hesitated to go home. Then Castle had suggested they all grab dinner at a new Vietnamese place downtown. No one could come up with a reason why not, so here they were, finishing their pho and beers.

"Best Vietnamese food I've ever had," agreed Kevin.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, sipping slowly at their drinks. It was finally Ryan who spoke up first. "It's late, and I should get home to Jenny. She has this whole big trip planned to visit her relatives in Connecticut this weekend."

"So you're getting your leash tugged?" asked Esposito with a smile.

"No," he frowned. "Ok well yes. Whatever. See you guys on Monday." He got up and headed towards the exit.

"It is getting pretty late," said Beckett. "Maybe we should call it a night."

Esposito hesitatingly agreed and put on his jacket. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

"No, no, let me buy you guys a drink. The Old Haunt is just down the street." For no particular reason, he didn't want the night to end. There was nothing he wanted less than to go home to his empty apartment. He would much prefer to spend time with Esposito and Beckett. Ok mostly just Beckett. But if dealing with Esposito was the price to pay for being with Beckett longer, then it was worth it.

"Alright," acquiesced Javier, grinning. "Maybe you can give us some more of that famously expensive scotch."

"I'm afraid not, I only bought the one bottle. But I'm sure we can find something else for you. Beckett?"

"Fine, fine," she said. "But I'm buying the first round. I owe you about 100 coffees at this point. May as well start paying you back."

"Well I own the place," replied Castle with a smirk. "All the drinks are free."

* * *

There were surprisingly few people in the bar. "Being a Friday night, you'd think more people would be out." mentioned Castle.

"Well this isn't exactly party central," mentioned Beckett, glancing around at the rustic design. She took a seat at one of the stools with Esposito while Castle went behind the bar.

"Being the owner has its perks," Castle boasted as he reached for a glass. "You want a beer or cocktail?"

"Beer" for Esposito and a "surprise me" from Beckett. Castle got to mixing some drinks while Esposito headed over to the darts board.

"Well hey there guys," said a very distinctive voice. Beckett and Castle looked up to see Lanie walking in the door.

"Lanie!" exclaimed Castle. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Javi texted me. Figured I could distract him to give you two some alone time."

Beckett rolled her eyes, but couldn't quite hide the smile that crept onto her face. "Believe me, the last thing I need is more Castle."

"Why, detective Beckett, you wound me." replied Castle with fake hurt in his voice. "And here I was thinking you were fond of me."

"I'd be a lot more fond of you if you'd make me a damn drink."

"Coming right up!" said Castle as he pulled out two cocktail glasses and poured a red mixture into each of them. "This is called a Jack Rose. I learned how to make it from a college professor, who was very fond of Hemingway." Both ladies took their glasses and slipped apprehensively at first, then with more vigour upon tasting it.

"Wow," said Lanie. "I like that. What's in it?"

"Oh just some apple flavoured liqueur, lime juice and grenadine. Not the most extravagant, but impresses the ladies," he replied with a wink directed at Beckett, who rolled her eyes yet again. Rick turned to grab two mugs and fill them with beer from the tap. "Bring this to Javier won't you?" he ask Lanie as he scraped off the foam and handed it to her.

Castle wiped up a bit of spilled beer while Lanie sauntered off towards Esposito. Beckett watched her go, and then turned to raise an eyebrow at Castle. "When did you become a master bartender?"

"I've always enjoyed making a good drink. There's an art to it that not many people appreciate." Kate smiled at Rick's diverse hobbies. "And plus, making a girl a drink is a great way to get laid."

Kate snorted, the disgust she occasionally felt around Castle surfacing. Sometimes he could make her forget about his womanizing side. "Well good luck with that tonight."

Rick grinned as he came around the counter to sit down with his mug of beer. "I'm sure I could find a Richard Castle fan around here. It's a lot easier to get laid when you're famous you know."

Kate took the last sip of her drink and grinned at Castle. "You know what else helps?" she said as she leaned in close to him. "Looking like this." And with that she put her glass on the counter and walked over towards the dart board where Esposito and Lanie were. Castle couldn't help but watch her hips sway as she walked away.

Beckett turned around to catch him staring, smirking when she caught him. "Make me another one of those drinks, won't you?"

Wiping the slack-jawed look off of his face, Rick grabbed her glass and rushed behind the counter. First, he would probably need to splash some cold water on his face.

* * *

Javier beat Rick soundly at darts. A jack-of-all-trades Castle may be, but athletics were never really his forte. After that, they had downed another couple drinks (which Castle whipped up in impressive fashion) and sat around, telling stories and jokes.

They had just finished round four when Javier and Lanie took off. Esposito had made up some excuse about having breakfast with his familia, but Beckett and Castle had just smiled. Yeah, and it looks like Lanie will be there too.

Kate had also tried to leave at that time, but Castle had begged her to stay. "Come on Beckett, just one more drink."

"No Castle I really should go. Wouldn't want you getting any ideas at this hour."

"My intentions are completely honorable," he said as he put his hand over his heart, mimicking a boy scout. "I was just thinking that you were conceding."

"Conceding what?" asked Beckett, the competitive part of her kicking in.

Castle smiled, realizing he could bait her into staying with a competition. "Well obviously if you leave now, you admit that I can outdrink you."

Kates face flushed with anger. Even though she was a bit drunk already, she had complete confidence she could drink Castle's sorry ass into the ground. "You really wanna do this?"

Castle nodded vigorously and went behind the counter to grab a bottle of tequila and a couple of shot glasses. He also fished out a bowl of lime wedges and a salt shaker. "It's on!"

James, the real bartender, walked by and shook his head at Castle's antics. "Is he bothering you miss?" he jokingly asked Beckett, well aware of the friendly relationship between the two.

"No, but you can call him a cab. He's going to be passed out soon enough."

James just chuckled and walked over to another set of customers while Castle bristled with indignation. "Counting me out already?"

"Just pour the shots already," Beckett said with no small amount of exasperation. She grabbed the salt shaker and poured a bit on her thumb and also took hold of a lime wedge. "Let's really get this party started."

Castle gave in after 4 shots. He watched, impressed as Beckett downed a fifth. If he was honest, he could have kept going. But things were starting to blur, and the last thing he needed was to say something stupid around Beckett.

"Take that!" she practically yelled as she slammed her shot glass down on the table. Her clumsy hand knocked it onto the ground though, and she blushed as she bent down to retrieve it.

Castle couldn't help but watch as she bent down, the angle revealing a hefty amount of cleavage. He kept staring, even as she recovered the glass, set it on the table, and returned to her seat. It was only when she cleared her throat that he dragged his eyes up to her face. Damn, maybe I'm a little more drunk than I thought, thought Rick.

Kate clearly had a similar thought process, because she said, "It's late, I think I should head home." She got up and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, starting to bundle up against the cold.

Rick reached out and grabbed her hand, trying to stop her from going. All he wanted was to spend a little more time with her. He opened his mouth to speak, even though every sober cell in his brain was telling him not to.

"Castle," said Kate before he could stay anything stupid.

"No, nothing funny. Let me walk you out. Just give me a minute to get my coat." He had stashed his coat in the basement, trying not to get alcohol on it. As he returned, zipping up his jacket, Beckett was standing by the door, wrapping her scarf around her neck. He smiled at her and offered his arm, all gentlemanly like.

"Shall we?" he said in his best English accent.

She laughed and nodded, trying to hold back a smile. Rick reached out and pushed open the door. The cold hit them like a frigid wall, but they pushed forward to the street, where Castle hailed the first cab he could.

Still doing his best gentleman impression, he opened the door for her, then turned to say goodbye. "Get home safe, ok?"

"I will, don't worry. I still have my gun, remember?"

"Of course. But you'll text me? Just for my sanity?" Rick knew that she was more than capable of fending off trouble, but one could never be too cautious.

"Fine," she said, an annoyed expression crossing her face. But then it softened, and she bit the corner of her lip. "I… uh… thanks for today Castle. It was… fun."

And before he could respond, she leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. Her lips were like fire compared to the bone chilling wind, but it was gone all too soon. Quickly, trying to hide the blush that was appearing on her cheeks, she scrambled into the cab and closed the door.

Rick stood there, a shocked expression on his face as the cab took off. He pressed a hand against his cheek, as if that would stop the wind from stealing the kiss away from him. His face felt like it was sparking with little bits of electricity where her lips had touched him, and he watched the taillights of the cab turn the corner and vanish from view with a heavy heart.

Regaining his composure, he ran his hand through his hair and looked down the street, intending to hail the next cab. However, the car that stopped in front of him was not a cab, but rather a blue hatchback.

"Hey dad," chirped a voice from the cracked window. "Get in."

Rick quickly opened the door and darted into the warm car. He turned to see Alexis at the wheel, already flicking the blinker to get back into traffic.

"How'd you know where I was?" asked Rick.

"James called me. Figured you weren't going to last much longer, so you may need a lift." And as if she predicted his next question, she said, "He knows me because I balanced the books for the bar last month."

Castle sighed as he leaned back in his seat. So many things to discuss, but it could wait until the morning when he was thinking clearly. For now, he set his sights on the road ahead.

Well, the night hadn't ended quite as he wanted, thinking about Beckett. But he supposed that was a good thing. Drunk sex would just make everything weird, he thought to himself. We don't need that. Besides, if they were going to do it, he wanted to remember it.

Afterall, if he wasn't going home with Beckett, he was just fine heading back to the loft with Alexis. She would always be the most important girl in his life, even considering Beckett. And getting a free ride home wasn't bad. In the very car he had been thinking about that morning.

He thought back to all that had happened since he had dozed off in the subway. He didn't accomplish one thing. It should have felt like a waste of a day. But remembering the careless fun they had playing real life Clue at the precinct, or trying some great Vietnamese food, and even getting drunk with Beckett, Castle couldn't help but think that it had been a good day.

Just a very good day.

* * *

 **Hope you guys liked it!**

 **Anyways, having recently finished the Castle series and not having anyone to talk to is pretty annoying for me. So if any of y'all wanna chat about Castle, please send me a PM. It can just be your favorite and least favorite moments from the show for all I care. I also hope it'll inspire me to come up with some fun new chapters for this story.**

 **This isn't me fishing for reviews, just friends. No pressure, but I look forward to hearing from you!**


	3. Something New

**Hey y'all. This is something I drew up in a little over an hour, so forgive the shitty quality.**

* * *

"Murder. Mystery, the Macabre. What is it about…"

Rick had already tuned out his ex-wife. He was more concerned with the bared cleavage glaring at him, just asking to be grabbed. Sadly, they were in public, and the cute blonde in front of him looked nearly half his age. _Divided by two plus seven gives.._ , he quickly thought to himself, then shook it off. He finished the strokes of his sharpie across her chest, then mumbled some flirty line. He heard his name, turned back towards the stage, and put on a smile he barely felt.

He really needed a drink.

* * *

The next hour was a blur of photos, glasses of champagne, forced smiles, more champagne, avoiding Gina, oh and had he mentioned champagne? The buzz was starting to dull the headache that had developed from the flashing of cameras and blaring of loud music.

He had just knocked back his fourth glass when a hand grabbed his elbow and pulled him close. He turned to see Gina, before facing the cameras and smiling. _Had to keep up appearances_.

"What kind of idiot kills of his best selling main character?" she asked, pulling his sunglasses away from his face. It was not so much the loss of the shades that caused him to hesitate, but the choice of what tone to take with the serpent whom he currently had his arm around.

"Are you asking as my blood sucking publisher, or as my blood sucking ex-wife?" he replied with a small smile. Despite their recent divorce, he could never really stop goading her. He kept hoping that it would return to how it was at the beginning, when she laughed at his puns and jokes instead of replying with venom. When exactly had their relationship turned into a mudslinging contest?

"Oh, so is that what you're doing? Punishing me by killing the Golden Goose?"

"Oh, come on. I may be petty and short sighted, but I'm not that petty and short sighted."

"Really? Then why?'" was her response as she turned away from the cameras and headed up a ramp towards the lounge. Against his better judgement, Rick followed her. He supposed he was going the same direction anyways: the bar was this way. And so were Alexis and his mother. But mostly the bar.

"Writing Derek used to be fun," he replied as Gina handed him his sunglasses over her shoulder, very nonchalantly. It was such a Gina mannerism. Do everything fluidly and easily. She was the type of person who never really had to struggle with anything. When times got hard, she usually just left. Or threatened to cancel his book contract. "Now it's like work."

"Hm. God forbid you should work. I mean you could have retired him. You could have crippled him. You could have had him join the freaking circus. But no, you _had_ to put a bullet through his head." She spun towards him, ending her tirade with just a bit of the sexy drawl that had once made his skin tingle. Now he was forced to control the annoyance that welled up in his head.

Instead he just laughed. "Yeah. Real messy too. Big exit wound." Another pretty blonde came up behind him, and Rick was signing the book before she could even open her mouth. "Don't worry," he continued to Gina. "Derek Storm is not the Golden Goose here. I am. I wrote half a dozen best sellers before him, and what makes you think I'm gonna stop now?"

Another glass of champagne had appeared in his hand, and he gratefully lifted it to his mouth to take another sip.

"Oh, I don't know? The fact the new book was due nine weeks ago?"

"You can't rush genius."

"Genius Richard? Try blockage. I heard you haven't written in months."

She stepped closer, covering him in the scent of peaches, the odor of her favorite perfume. He flashed back to a similar memory of their first night together. The first Derek Storm book had just come out. She was a relative unknown in the world of publishing, just the one at the company who had vouched for his book. But she was going to ride him to the top.

Maybe ride him somewhere else too.

"Thats ridiculous." replied Castle, trying and failing to put on his best poker face.

"My sources are very reliable," she said with a particular head twist that annoyed Castle again.

He tried to steady himself. Regain control of the situation. "Well, they're wrong."

"They better be. If I don't have a new manuscript on my desk in the next three weeks, Black Pawn is prepared to demand the return of your advance."

Quickly, the last few month's purchases flashed through his head: several expensive bottles of alcohol, a new paint job for the Ferrari, even a couple acres of land on the moon. He most definitely wasn't getting that money back.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me, just try me," she said, a seductive whisper creeping into her voice. At one point, it would have caused quite a stir in his pants _and_ in his head. But now, he had to bite back the sudden urge to lash out at her.

But as she turned and walked away, he couldn't help but loose one last barb at her.

"You know I already returned that advance. I spent it divorcing you."

She gave a little snort, indicating he wasn't actually amused, then turned to leave. Castle was glad to see the back of her. Frowning, he raised the glass to his lips again, downing the whole thing in one go. He discarded the empty glass, then went in search of the bar.

What really bothered him was that she was right. He hadn't written in months. The ideas just weren't there. He had poured over old notes, spent thousands on a hands on jungle adventure in Colombia, even gotten high, all in search of inspiration. But nothing sparked.

The truth is, he was done. So done with the pressure, the deadlines. The constant critiques and questions. Done with the publishing company, who wanted 2 books a year. Or their vindictive lapdog Gina, set out to both woo and torture him. He was even done with the fame, the paparazzi, the fans. The constant 'Will you sign this?' or 'Take a picture with me!' The worst was when they thought they were an author themselves. 'Just read my manuscript,' they pleaded. _Yeah_ , he thought. He was so done with that.

What he wouldn't give to be in bed right now, watching old Star Trek reruns or starting over on the _Harry Potter_ Series. Or playing Monopoly with Alexis.

 _Man, if it weren't for Alexis…_

He let that thought stay unfinished. There was a long way to go before he starting prodding at that particular door.

He finally found his mother and Alexis right next to the other object he had been searching for: the bar.

"Alright, give me a hit of the bubbly," Martha was saying.

"Make that two," said Rick, as he walked over.

"Hey, kiddo," greeted his mother. "Sales must be slipping. They're only serving the soft stuff."

It took every inch of self control he had to not reply caustically. Only his mother could be this mixture of unsupportive and self absorbed.

"Hey dad," said Alexis with a smile as he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

He responded with a "Hey sweetie" before looking for the bartender again. He had half a mind to order a whole bottle scotch. Recently, he had found that drinking heavily offered at least the possibility of something novel happening. Something to get himself out of his rut. The problem, he had also found, was remembering it the next morning.

"So, mother…" began Rick, leaning against the bar.

"Sh, sh, not so loud," she replied, looking around carefully. "I'm still looking to get lucky."

Before any unwanted images could pop into his head, he asked directly, "Did you tell Gina I was having trouble writing?"

She was a good actress, but immediately he knew she was going to lie. "Oh I told her nothing of the sort. I…" Rick glared at her. "I may have said something about spending your days, moping in your underwear, waiting for _Post Time at Belmont,_ but hey. You're an artist, it's expected."

Exasperation surged through his veins. "We had a deal. I let you live with us, but you don't talk about my work."

"Well what's there to talk about." She had the attitude of someone making a funny joke, as if his career and relationship with his ex-wife were a laughing matter. "You haven't done any since I moved in."

"Gram!" putted Alexis, trying to come to her father's defence. He inwardly smiled. She did her best to look out for him.

"Well he hasn't!" Martha said, with almost a joyous laugh.

"Whatever I have and haven't done," Castle said, taking his mother's hands and looking her in the eye. "I would just appreciate it if you wouldn't share it with my ex-wife."

"Oh, what's the big deal?" she replied, clearly distracted by something behind him. "Hold on sweetie, I just got a hit on my graydar. BINGO no ring. Stand back kids, mama's going fishin."

For what seemed the fiftieth time that night, he had to repress a surge of irritation. "Should have me committed." he said to Alexis.

"For what? Letting her move in? I think it's sweet." That was Alexis, always looking bigger picture. And he was glad to have his mother around. She was a good lively influence on Alexis, opposed to the recently mopey and, alright he'd say it, _depressed_ figure of her father.

"Won't be when I strangle her." was his terse reply as he grabbed the two glasses of champagne the bartender had so kindly gotten them. He took one and handed the other to Alexis.

"You know I'm only 15, right?" was her reply, ever the conservative.

"You're an old soul." he said, not looking at her. _Besides, my mother used to put he to bed with a shot of whiskey,_ he thought to myself. _Helped take care of me during her late night… liaisons._

"Well, me and my soul can wait." she said as she pushed the full glass back towards him. _Well, more for me I suppose._

"When I was your age…" he began. "I can't tell that story. It's wildly inappropriate. Which oddly, is my point. Don't you want to have wildly inappropriate stories that you can't tell your children?"

"I think you have enough of those for the both of us."

Maybe that was his problem, he reflected. He had been so wild as a young adult that everything seemed so… dull now. Crazy rave? Done it. So drunk he woke up somewhere completely unknown with strangers? Done it. Gotten married illogically? Done it. Twice.

However he feared the opposite would be true for Alexis. She was so focused on school and college that she never really tried to live. What was going to happen when she went of to some university and had to be a real person, instead of the machine she had become?

"Life should be an adventure," Rick said. "You want to know why I killed Derek? There were no more surprises. I knew exactly what was going to happen every moment of every scene. It's just like these parties that become so predictable. 'I'm your biggest fan' 'Where do you get your ideas?'"

"And the ever popular 'Will you sign my chest?'"

Rick grabbed his glass again. "That one I don't mind so much." He took another large sip.

"Yeah, well FYI, I do," was Alexis' response.

 _Hell,_ he thought. _It's like my daughter is my mother and my mother is my daughter._

"For just once, I'd like someone to come up to me and say something new."

This is what his problems essentially boiled down to. His life currently was a like a skipping record: repeating the same monotonous thing over and over again. He needed someone to come and flip the disc and reset the needle.

The first chapter of a book was always the hardest to write. Not because of the characters that had to be introduced, or the setting that had to be established. But rather making the reader care.

He felt like a reader of the book of his own life. The previous book had ended, quite literally. What would come next? Would it be any good? Would he even care?

"Mr. Castle?" a female voice called from behind him.

 _Right on cue,_ he thought. _Just what I need, another fangirl. Maybe at least I can take this one home._

"Where would you like it?" replied Rick as he whirled and flashed his pen.

The woman in front of him was definitely hot, if a little out of place in her button up and slacks. _Maybe she didn't get the memo on short dresses._ He was plotting his pickup line when she held up her hand and it flashed gold.

"Detective Kate Beckett," was her introduction. "NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight."

He couldn't help the slack jawed expression that took over his face. Luckily, Alexis came to his rescue, reaching over and plucking the pen out of his hand.

"That's new."

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

 **Thanks to everyone that's reviewed and/or PM'ed me. I enjoy hearing from you, even if it's just talking about your favorite books or Castle moments. Plus, it's always nice when I get positive feedback (even though I can't quite imagine why you guys like this shit).**

 **Anyways, thanks a lot, have a great week!**


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